Many pet owners live in areas which require them to keep their pets on a leash when they are being walked. For example, most dog owners living in urban areas are required by law to keep their dogs restrained by a leash, and additionally, to pick up their dog's waste. Dog owners who do not have yards of their own, often must walk their dogs in the early hours of the morning or at night when it is dark. Controlling a dog while carrying pet waste bags and/or flashlights along with other necessities such as pepper spray, cell phones, purses, wallets, keys and the like, may present a challenge. Moreover, it is easy to forget or misplace all of these items, which in some instances, means that the pet owner has return home to retrieve them.
Various attempts have been made to address the aforementioned challenges. Some attempts utilize an all-in-one apparatus in which the flashlight and/or waste bag is integral with the leash or the leash handle. This attempted solution can be problematic. In addition to being costly, if the flashlight, waste bag, leash, and/or leash handle breaks, then the all-in-one apparatus is no longer fit for use and the entire thing must be replaced. Some attempts have utilized a specialized flashlight that interfaces with an adapter, which allows it to be hooked to a leash. This attempted solution may also be costly, particularly because it requires that a specialized, rather than a general purpose flashlight, be used.
Thus there remains a need for an apparatus that is universal, i.e., can be used with any off-the-shelf accessory (e.g., flashlights, waste bag containers, attack deterrent sprays, etc.). It would be particularly advantageous if such an apparatus could be utilized with various configurations of leashes, such as ones that are either flat and thin, flat and thick, round and rope-like, etc. Moreover, it would be advantageous if the universal adapter could be placed on the handle or on the strap of the leash.